So I was driving to Philly yesterday, and I noticed my temperature gauge was getting higher than normal (usually runs at around 1/4 to half), then all of a sudden it spiked to H but within seconds it started to drop again. This continued to happen on the way home, the gauge would spike to H about every 15 min, and then drop 10-15 seconds later. Every time it happened it would happen the same way...gauge would rise very close to H, sit for a few seconds, then spike, then come back down a few seconds later. In less than a minute I'd be back down to normal operating temp.

Anybody have any idea what could cause this? I'm hoping its not a head gasket or anything...i put over a $1000 in the thing last month, and I'm getting tired/paranoid that something terrible has happened.

 

Also, don't know if this matters, but I changed my headlights my self a few days earlier.

 

Is the coolant level low in the radiator?

 

its global warming.

 

^^ Get that crap out of here, this is not the lounge.

OP, about your overheating issue. Check your coolant level, make sure all air pockets are out of the system (bleed the system), check to see if your fans are cycling on/off, troubleshoot your Tstat, too. This might me a faulty temp sensor, too. But lets rule out the rest before buying things.

 

+100 on bleeding the cooling system.

Until I had to mess with it a few times this year, I never realized how important it is to be 1000% percent sure you've bled it properly. Some engines do NOT have a bleeder to ease this process (mine does not) and unless you are very patient and careful you will still have air in your cooling system - that, or my car is just especially stubborn! Hindsight I probably spent$50 that I didn't need to because I didn't check this step completely!

 

You really dont need the bleeder to be honest. It just makes the process easier. Jack up the front of the car, remove the radiator cap (when cold), turn heat on in car to full blast, and start car. Allow the car to go through at least 1 heat cycle, topping off the radiator as needed. At this time, the bubbles should be gone for the most part. If anything, you could squeeze the upper/lower hose to help.

 

I added coolant directly to the radiator, and the problem seems to have gone away. I haven't driven it in anything as tough as it went through on Saturday, but so far the temp has stayed where it always does. It doesn't appear to be leaking coolant...at least not onto my driveway.

 

Keep an eye on it, for a while check coolant level in the radiator before each trip (when the engine is cold).

 

...Just a question about the bleeding procedure.

Is coolant suppose to flow out of the radiator when you do this?
Because I was following the same directions on this site on how to bleed a few months ago(cap off, front end up, heat on full blast) and coolant just flowed out the radiator top. So I just put a hand towel in the radiator top (hole) & waited a few minutes..the bleeding worked..but it was kinda messy.